Yesterday the Council’s public safety committee approved a resolution supporting a new prescription drug take-back program in King County. The County is currently recruiting pharmacies willing to host drug take-back drop boxes. Pharmaceutical companies provide funding for the program; pharmacies...
Tag: Public Safety
Some Good News About State Prisons
The following article was sent out in my City View Newsletter, which you can sign up to receive here. The state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) has been in the news a lot recently because of the data errors over prisoner...
Real Police Response Time Figures by Precinct
The Council’s public safety committee was briefed yesterday on police department response times to high priority 911 calls. It was refreshingly transparent and candid. The briefing was prompted by an article in The Seattle Times on January 2 that contrasted...
The Confusion Surrounding Encampments
Once again, our city is struggling with how to best respond to the very real crisis of unsheltered people living outdoors in unauthorized encampments. The “One Night Count” on January 29, an annual survey of the homeless population, is sure...
Superior Court Upholds Gun Violence Tax
This afternoon King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson issued an order upholding the City’s gun violence tax. A copy of the ruling is available here. We established the gun violence tax as a legitimate and appropriate way to raise...
Supporting the Muslim Community, a Voice for Drivers, Labor Standards, and More
Yesterday was the last Full Council meeting of 2015 and it was jam packed: 52 agenda items, 3 ½ hours of deliberations. We started with a resolution expressing our support for Seattle’s Muslim community in the wake of increasing anti-Muslim...
Final Decisions on 2016 Budget
The Full Council voted to adopt the City’s 2016 budget today, incorporating changes Councilmembers have made from the Mayor’s proposal over the last two months. The Mayor’s proposed budget provided us with a good start, including funding for a hospital-based...
More Sidewalks for Less Money
Today Mayor Murray and I announced new strategies to construct more sidewalks for less money. For decades, neighborhood advocates have pushed the City to provide sidewalks to the areas that have none, but the biggest hurdle has been cost. Traditional...
Budget Season Begins
It’s City budget time again. Last week the Mayor presented his budget proposal to the Council and this week the Council heard more details from the various department heads. Starting October 19, we will begin to identify issues and possible...
Seattle for Washington in Action
Several years ago, former Council President Richard Conlin created the Seattle for Washington program. Councilmembers met with elected officials from around the state to build relationships and to discuss mutual interests and areas of concern. The message was simple: Seattle...